Alice Soper: sports journalist on the Black Ferns getting knocked out of the Rugby World Cup

The Black Ferns are determined to wrap their World Cup campaign with a medal, quickly turning their attention to the bronze playoff next week.

They've surrendered their World Cup title, defeated by Canada in the semi-finals in Bristol.

Sports journalist Alice Soper has voiced disappointment with this weekend's loss.

"On the other hand, as a fan of women's rugby, there is a beautiful story attached to this Canadian team, so you kind of can't help but get behind them and hope that they go all the way - so it's been a tough pill to swallow."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talks'b Right.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
The finalists of the Women's Rugby World Cup have been
found this morning. England getting up over France sounds quite
raunchy for a Sunday morning, thirty five seventeen to set
up a final showdown against Canada. Canada, of course, beating
our Black Ferns yesterday morning, knocking them out of the Cup,
handing the Ferns their first World Cup loss since twenty fourteen.

(00:34):
Alice Soper is in England and she joins me, now,
good morning, Alice.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Good morning, Well evening for me. How are we doing.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
We're pretty good, you know, slowly coming out of the disappointment.
We'll get to this morning's game soon, but we're twenty
four hours removed from that Black Ferns result. Reflections on
the Black Ferns campaign.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
Look, it's a hard one, right because I can kind
of hold two things in my mind at once, which is,
on the one hand, obviously deeply disappointed as a fan
of our national team to not be seeing them in
the top match next week, but.

Speaker 4 (01:09):
Then on the other hand, as a fan of women's rugby.
There is a beautiful Sindalarellis story attached to this Canadian team,
so you kind of can't help but get behind them
and hope that they go all the way. So, yeah,
it's been a tough pill to swallow.

Speaker 3 (01:25):
But if we're going to see anyone go through, if
you're going to get beat by anyone, I don't know.
I think I'm probably quite happy to have been beaten
by the Canadians.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
You're right, though, They've got such a great story, haven't they.
They crowdfunded to finance their way to the tournament. They're
a semi professional side, like they don't have the infrastructure
of a big men's team behind them, they can utilize.
What they've achieved is pretty impressive.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah, and also just how audacious they have been the
whole time, because the thing is with that crowdfunding. Just
to put this in a little bit more context for people,
it's not that rugby Canada is short shifting these women.
It's just that rugby in Canada is nowhere near the
established force that it is another countries. And so they

(02:08):
you know, I think they offered about two point six
million towards the women's campaign, and so it was that
extra million that the women then fundraised on top of that,
so it's not like they haven't been supported at all,
But they just knew that they didn't want to just
turn up. They wanted to turn up and try and
win the World Cup. So that's why they put the
pudget together to try and get them the best prep

(02:29):
they could possibly have to go and get the job done.
And you know, I think ultimately it's that planning and
that preparation. Then you look between our performance and Canadas. Hey,
they had seven tests in the lead up to this
World Cup. Meanwhile we only had four, so they've spent
so much more time on the grass and ultimately that's

(02:49):
the timing that paid off when it came to the
semi final.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
How the Black Ferns feeling, of course, the first World
Cup lost since twenty fourteen, I know that that's going
to be hard, Oh.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
I mean absolutely. And the standards these women hold for
themselves and for the jersey, you know, they put so
much into maintaining this unmatchable legacy of a World Cup team.
There is nobody that has ever had the success at
a Rugby World Cup men or women that the Black
Ferns have and that's because they demand high standards. They're
not going to be taking any type of excuse that's

(03:23):
my job.

Speaker 5 (03:25):
They are just going to be feeling deeply disappointed that
they couldn't get the job done for New Zealand. But
I would imagine you will see them bring out a
big performance, even though it's a third and fourth and
sometimes that can feel like a bit of a bit
of taste in the mouth. They're going to want to
make sure that they send you certain players off, people
like Porsia Woodman Wickliffe.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
This will be her last chance to play in that
black jersey next weekend, so you can imagine they'll be
wanting to, you know, at least finish on a high
in that way.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
We had another Cracker game this morning. We have our finalist. Now,
what did you make of England's performance over France.

Speaker 3 (03:59):
I mean, look, I think those of us had been
who had been predicting the matches this weekend, we all
kind of thought the New Zealand Canada match might be
very tight and we couldn't really pack at and we
thought that this other game was going to be a
bit of a blowout, and it kind of ended up
playing the other way. It's like the scripts got switched
and we didn't see. I definitely didn't see that full

(04:20):
fight coming from the French. But then that's so typically French,
particularly at World Cups. You can never write this side off.
So to be five to seven, you know, two points
behind at halftime unreal. There was a lot of anxious
English fans. I saw them in the crowd around me
and look, I think ultimately having given them that run,

(04:42):
that's going to be good for England. They've had a
bit of a cruisy run into this final, so they
needed to have a little bit of sticky that they
had to try and climb out of. But France just, yeah,
an incredibly brave side. They will never let anything go
against them. So it was as a neutral just such
a joy to watch that match.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
What kind of game do you expect next Sunday morning,
New Zealand time between Canada and England and the spin.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
It's gonna be absolutely frantic. I mean, if we saw
anything in terms of that pace, that tempo, you know, Canada,
I think they're averaging two second rucks like this is
such hot ball that they're playing with. And seeing again
what England came out with just the full has some
noise that they come inspect just eighty minutes of absolute
flat tag ball in the air, running rugby. And I

(05:29):
mean they know. Both teams probably have for a while
established themselves as being really enforcers upfront, having beautiful set piece,
but they can both turn on those transitions and throw
the ball around our toes. So oh, it's going to
be a beautiful final, and it's going to be one
I'm not going to predict. I will be cheering for
Canada just because it's physically impossible for a New Zealander

(05:53):
women's rugby fans a cheer for England. I'm so sorry England.
But look, either way, whoever wins, it's a win for
the English domestic scene because the PWI has built this
dominance that's the women's top league here in England. It's
built the top the dominance into the England's women's team.
It's also builded into the Canadians over half of their

(06:13):
squad currently plays in the PR. So either way, the
real winner is women's domestic rugby and that should be
the lesson that New Zealand rugby has to take notes on.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
And great to see. It's a sellout It's going to
be an amazing event, great game.

Speaker 3 (06:29):
I am so glad that I got my tickets early.
You know, look at you know, like I say, a
shame it's not the Black Friends in the Big Final,
but it does mean that I just get to have
a lot.

Speaker 5 (06:37):
Of fun.

Speaker 3 (06:39):
Enjoy.

Speaker 5 (06:40):
Ellis.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
Always appreciate your time and your thoughts. Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
That was Alis Soper out of the UK. That final
between Canada and England takes place early next Sunday morning,
New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (06:52):
Time for more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin.
Listen live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.